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The annual McGovern Institute symposium, which took place on May 8, 2013, featured nine talks on the subject of motor control and the motor cortex. Motor commands represent the output of the brain and its evolutionary raison d’être. To produce useful movements the brain must select appropriate combinations of muscles from a vast range of possibilities, and must activate them with precise control of force and timing.

This symposium explored how the brain accomplishes this task: what computations does it perform to control movement, how and where in the brain does this happen, and how can this knowledge be exploited for rehabilitation and for the development of neural prosthetics.

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About the McGovern Institute

The McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT is led by a team of world-renowned neuroscientists committed to meeting two great challenges of modern science: understanding how the brain works and discovering new ways to prevent or treat brain disorders.

The McGovern Institute was established in 2000 by Patrick J. McGovern and Lore Harp McGovern, with the goal of improving human welfare, communication and understanding through their support for neuroscience research. The director is Robert Desimone, formerly the head of intramural research at the National Institute of Mental Health.